1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an indoor unit of an air conditioner having an improved frame structure in which a refrigerant pipe that connects an outdoor unit and the indoor unit can be easily connected, and a method of connecting the refrigerant pipe of the indoor unit of the air conditioner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air conditioners, which are apparatuses that keep indoor air fresh and suitable for activities of humans using a refrigeration cycle, cool an interior by performing a repeated operation of inhaling indoor hot air, exchanging heat with a low-temperature refrigerant, and then ejecting the heat-exchanged air indoors, or heat the interior by performing a reverse operation of the above-mentioned operation.
Air conditioners may cool or heat the interior using a cooling cycle in which a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator are circulated forward or backward. The compressor provides a refrigerant in a high-temperature high-pressure gaseous state, and the condenser provides a refrigerant in a room-temperature high-pressure liquid state. The expansion valve decompresses refrigerant the room-temperature high-pressure liquid state, and the evaporator evaporates the decompressed refrigerant into a low-temperature gaseous state.
An air conditioner may be classified as a separable air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separately installed, or an integrally formed air conditioner in which the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are integrally installed. In the separable air conditioner in which the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are separately installed, in general, a compressor and a condenser (outdoor heat exchanger) are provided at the outdoor unit, and an evaporator (indoor heat exchanger) is provided at the indoor unit. A refrigerant may flow while circulating the outdoor unit and the indoor unit via a pipe that connects the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.
The air conditioner may also be classified as a stand type air conditioner, a wall-mountable air conditioner, or a ceiling type air conditioner according to an installation method of the indoor unit. In the wall-mountable air conditioner of the separable air conditioner in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are separately installed, the indoor unit may be installed at a wall surface of the interior, and the indoor unit may be connected to the outdoor unit installed outdoors via a connection pipe. That is, a refrigerant pipe provided at the indoor unit may be connected to the refrigerant pipe provided at the outdoor unit via the connection pipe, and the refrigerant may circulate the refrigerant pipes provided at the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.
Before the air conditioner is installed, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit may be separately provided, and when the air conditioner is installed, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit may be connected to each other via a pipe. In the separable wall-mountable air conditioner, a holder plate may be provided at a lower end of the air conditioner so as to be stably fixed onto the wall surface. A fixing bracket may be mounted on the wall surface on which the indoor unit of the wall-mountable air conditioner is to be mounted, and the holder plate may be mounted to the fixing bracket so that the wall-mountable air conditioner can be stably fixed onto the wall surface.
The refrigerant pipe provided at the indoor unit may be provided at a rear lower end of the indoor unit so that the refrigerant is not exposed to the outside for the reason of aesthetic appeal of the interior in which the wall-mountable air conditioner is installed. In the wall-mountable air conditioner according to the related art, the holder plate is provided at the lower end of the indoor unit, and thus no working space in which an end of the refrigerant pipe of the indoor unit and the connection pipe are to be connected to each other or to be separated from each other when the indoor unit is installed or disassembled may be secured, and it may be difficult to perform an operation of connecting or separating the refrigerant pipe of the indoor unit to or from the connection pipe.